STAR MOLDS, TWO METAL AND ONE PLASTIC, TWO HANDCAST PLASTER OF PARIS MOLDS, FROM CEILING DECORATIONS IN WHITE HOUSE STATE DINING ROOM

STAR MOLDS, TWO METAL AND ONE PLASTIC, TWO HANDCAST PLASTER OF PARIS MOLDS, FROM CEILING DECORATIONS IN WHITE HOUSE STATE DINING ROOM The metal molds are probably American, 20th Century. Plastic molds are 21st Century and handmade. These special molds were formed by placing molded decorative elements from the White Houseâ s State Dining Room ceiling into Chef Mesnierâ s plaster of Paris mixture. The molds were used on several occasions, perhaps most notably during a luncheon in 2003 to honor Gen. Tommy Franks during the George W. Bush administration. The plaster of Paris mixture dried and then was used to form chocolate molds that were attached to a decorative cake; see final dessert image; largest of the silicone molds measures .75 x 10.25 in. (5)

Provenance: Private collection of Former White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier. First Lady Rosalynn Carter hired Mesnier, who served 26 years under five presidents: Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. According to Creating the Sweet World of White House Desserts: A Pastry Chef's Secrets, Mesnier created stunning desserts for more than 40 queens, kings, princes, princesses and heads of state.

Literature: Roland Mesnier and Mark Ramsdell, Creating the Sweet World of White House Desserts: A Pastry Chef's Secrets (Washington, D.C.: The White House Historical Association, 2019), p.162.